Giuseppe Poli

Emeritus Professor of General Pathology at Turin University, Italy. Degree in Medicine and Surgery and PhD in General Pathology, Turin University; PhD in Biochemistry, Brunel University of West London; Doctor Universitatis (hon), University of Buenos Aires. Lifetime honorary member of the Society for Free Radical Research-Europe and the Oxygen Club of California. His research, consistently in the field of redox experimental medicine, has focused on the role of oxidation products (4-hydroxynonenal, cholesterol oxidation products) in physiology (aging, antiviral defense), pathophysiology (inflammation) and pathology (atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease). For many years committed to supporting the role of suitable redox processes in healthy nutrition, healthy aging and longevity.

Author or co-author of more than 300 peer reviewed scientific publications indexed by PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. Publications in Hepatology, Gut, Nature Medicine, PNAS, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Redox Biology, Molecular Aspects of Medicine, Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine.

Redox processes involve the transfer of electrons between molecules, main example being the cellular respiration, and maintaining their correct balance is essential for cellular health and function. With age, these processes tend to become dysregulated, leading to a progressive increase of oxidative stress and consequent oxidative damage, biochemical events indeed associated with all main age-related non-communicable diseases. Prevention or delay of age-associated oxidative stress may markedly contribute to prevent or delay the onset of related pathologies as well as their progression and complications. An anti-aging redox nutritional approach appears convenient at least in three conditions of paramount importance, namely: 1) preserving or recovering the physiological function of the microbiota-gut-brain axis; 2) maintaining an appropriate length of phase N3 of the sleep cycle; 3) providing a balanced diet to fight major chronic diseases, all sustained by a chronic inflammatory process (inflammaging), especially cardiovascular diseases. Among the several factors that should be contained, since markedly deranging the microbiota-gut-brain axis and likely reducing the duration of the N3 deep sleep phase are several oxysterols, oxidation derivatives of cholesterol, highly represented in Western or Westernized diets. Besides exerting pro-inflammatory effects on the gut, dietary oxysterols strongly increase the intestinal permeability by damaging the tight and adherens junctions, thus allowing the invasion of the intestinal wall by microorganisms, allergenes and toxic compounds. The same oxysterols appear to accumulate in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the development of neurodegenerative diseases, their CSF levels showing a strong inverse correlation with the duration of the deep sleep N3 phase. Among the factors that protect and enhance extracellular junctions’ integrity, a prominent role is played by resveratrol, curcumin and several flavonoids, by the vitamin A and D, all compounds with remarkable antioxidant and otherwise protective properties. Notably, a low dietary uptake of cereals, fruits, vegetables and nuts has been proven to be a bulk of primary risk factors especially of cardiovascular diseases.